Patrick: No excuse for Jeremiah's social workers

Wednesday

Dec 18, 2013 at 7:12 PMDec 18, 2013 at 9:48 PM

By John J. Monahan TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

BOSTON — Gov. Deval L. Patrick said today there are "no excuses" for the failure of a social worker for months to check on the welfare of 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver, a Fitchburg boy missing since September, whose mother and her boyfriend are being held on child-abuse charges.

Returning from a 10-day trade mission to Asia, the governor said finding the boy and caring for two other children from the family who are now in state custody are the top priorities.

"It's devastating. Jeremiah is missing. Obviously the first order of business is to find him," Mr. Patrick said at a Statehouse briefing with reporters.

"The other two children, 9 and 7 years old I believe, are in custody, if that is the right term, and we need to be careful. They are going to need a good deal of care. Those are the first two things to worry about," he said of the case.

The governor said he supports the firing of the social worker who reportedly failed to check monthly on the child's welfare since last May as was required, and the firing of that social worker's supervisor, earlier this week.

"The question, how could this happen, is one I am asking, too. Because the initial answers were so lacking the social worker and the social worker's supervisor were both fired," the governor said. He added a review is under way of that social worker's other cases, and of other cases in that office.

But he said many other questions remain to be answered as a criminal investigation, an internal investigation by the Department of Children and Families and an independent investigation by the state's Child Advocate continue.

"Whether it goes or ought to go beyond these two individuals is an open question and something we are going to get to the bottom of," the governor said. He added, however, he does not believe the case represents a systematic breakdown of the state's child protective services."

"I'm very worried and I think all of the people in Massachusetts are, about that 5-year-old, Jeremiah," the governor said.

He said he has spoken to both the DCF commissioner and the independent state Child Advocate and expects more detailed information and thorough briefings on their findings over the next 10 days.

The governor also disputed a statement from the union representing social workers that suggested excessive caseloads may be to blame. "I was very, very disappointed in that statement. There is no excuse for this," the governor said.

"I'm very sympathetic to the caseloads of the social worker, but the social worker who has a responsibility like this one in this case — to have regular monthly eyes-on visits — who doesn't do it and doesn't say the reason it is not getting done is because of short staffing, doesn't have an excuse in my view," Mr. Patrick said.